New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-26
NETWORK DAILY JUNE &C. PAGES


there was no help for 1t. lt was one or those
chances which all river miners have to take. Ihe
chapter of accidents in all mining IS long and
painful one, for If it is not one thing It is anotner
So we kept up our courage but the boys were not
as cheerful as in '51. Our dead sure thing did
trail by way Of Stockton APPEARED DINNER through
the mist and haze, and the further end OF 1t. az
least mnch more distant though certainly our end
! of 1t could not have moved peg.
BY July of the following summer we had seen two
OF our dams swept away, and 1t became apparent
, that, try our best, we could not bottom the deep
pool" that season either. So you see, there were
three summers gone. In '52 We could have waded
across the river, 1t was 80 low that fall, but we
couldn't get the race down If our lives, had de-
reveFs in that channel The force of tina
ch that + S wse
for it but to wait over still another year. we
were obliged to pay many of our bills out OF our
now reduced purses. but the store keepers were
still goOd-natured and our credit fairly good. No.
body doubted but would bottom the deep pool
| by the following summer and be amply repaid for
all our labor. We were most of MS young and light
hearted and the absolute Ger anty felt of final
success kept up our spirits better than might have
| been expected
During the summer of '53 we had plenty of leis-
ure. and many of us liked to spend our SUNDAYS
up at the Professors tunnel. IL had become widely
knoyn by this time as 1.-The GA stoyeIpipe I LIP
Professors Folly" :" The Doctors Craze" aud so
on But whatever might be the barrenness of the
iioiuc VI tHc tuc IolSSoOi
made the ranch profitable enough; such
watermelonsl such muskmelons! never
SIIS days. sn's cam an% melons yo oqy
grudged giving dollar, oreven q dollar and half
for good-sizcd mclon-and there were none but
good-sized ones in the Doctors patch, lie had
walled up tine cool spring in the middle OF the
garden. over which was atticed shelter covered
with grape vines. This spring he kept filled with
iced inside and out He kept several cows and lots
of fowls and had therefore, an abundance of milk,
fresh butter and eggs Everytng outside inside nod
healthy the vines luxuriant. All the miners on the
river might have been turned into the tomato or
melon patch without making much impression
upon them. There was a fine field of barley on the
hillside and another of alfalfa He had erected sew
era additional buildings, barns, etc. Within sight
Of the house he had fenced in extensive p0trer0
this he had sown In alfalfa, and here were
| twenty or thirty mustangs, which the
boys used to hire to ride over to Jim Town or
work ANIMALS for use on the ranch. The laboratory
was enlarged aud drug store and small pharma-
ceutical department added to 1t.
! To party of healthy. hardy miners. hungry for
a bite Of something green and a glimpse OF rural
surroundings, tho place appeared as an oasis IN the
desert. The old fellow always made it point to
set a splendid dinner every Saturday and Sunday
of fresh meat, vegetables, ham and eggs. chicken.
cakes, cream cheese. salad lots Of mix, water
Ranch" came to be place of resort for the miners
all along the river and even occasionally from jim
! Town aud the vicinity. Every Sunday oil through
u
under a shade tree. alongside the old gentleman's
barn, perhaps turned INTO the pOtrero; and at din
ner time a long row of bronzed and bearded faces
slowing away the good things which none of us had
expected TO in those ports. AT dollar head
for meals. which nobody. grudgedj dollar apiece
for melons five dollars day for a mustang the Pro-
fessor would have made good thing of 1t If it had
not all been buried or spent upon that stony. bar
rem, God-forsaken old Table Mountain. BY this time
the boys used to tease tho old gentleman about il
good DEAL but he had schooled himself to take it
all in good part; he kept II up always about the
ancient channel" as though he had been there
and was going back again.
He never lost his regard for Harry and me. so,
seeing that he liked us so much, we used to ride
over TO the ranch on Saturday as often as POSI-
bic to stay all night and next day. On Satur-
days we would always find the Professor at work,
and tell you he could work. He labOred great
deal IN the blacksmith shop; there the old black
coat came of and he wore pair of suspenders out
side, over a dark blue shirt But he never let 60
the sovepipe, and like sea captains hat, II would
never move of itself He sharpened all his own
drills, and he gave our blacksmith many
point that was to him-as he could give almost
any mechanic IN any trade.
OF course, he came to exercise a great influence
over some of the simple miners on the river; and
for him that he would have followed him around
like dog believe, IfIthe Professor would have let
him. 1 his dated from tho doctoring of poor John
Spencer; for Jake declared that when the profess
sors fingers passed over the crushed form of tho
wounded man, " they felt outside. and saw inside
This meant, OF course, that the Doctors long, sensi
tive digits appeared to act as separate and indi-
yldnaI intelligences They so appeared TO me. but
Jake, in his dumb wav failed toexpress himself or,
al least. to make his meaning clear. And this in
tluence the Professor always turned TO GOOD &C
count just as he caught our men the day of his ar
rival. when he slipped the grace and blessing on
them while they were standing out OF respect
to him as a stranger aud Icuest. The boys
all liked little whiskey on Sundays and holidays,
and while there were certainly one or two who
would take II to excess the rest never cared for
more than horn at meal times. All knew that the
Doctor had little of first quality among his medi-
and off n rial n a
but It was of no use and so soon as they learned
to know that he really meant what he said, they
gaye up rylng and forgot all about the Liquor;
nothing here for you but what Is good for both
your bodies and your souls" TO get in on the lat
ter suppose, he used to give some kind of Sun
day afternoon lecture, after the place came to be
much frequcnted, and In these he so swectened his
pills that the boys didn't know they were taking
them. did hear over in Jim Town that he had
been not only doctor of medicine but doctor OF
philosophy and doctor of divinity well; but If
he really had been parson ne was wise to conceal
It, for If the boys had entertained the most remote
suspicion of u sermon, not man on that river
would have gone within mile of :" The
Od We hnen an ne Thai had 70 aver We
tered that part of the country, aud in the end IN
hisqnet way really succeeded IN doctoring our
souls good deal rs well rs our bodies.
Harry and never tired of admrlng that melon
patch and think we liked it better than all the
Virgin a." said Harry to the Doctor one day.
What do you do to them, Professor, TO make them
thrive in that way =
lie knew all about them bugs" said Jake,
blowing the Professors trumpet as usual.
The Professor laughed. There is something in
knowing about the bugs, OF course. and Jake Is
right So far but will tell YOU it consists think,
IN a very SIMPLE matter Ii is we'll known that
wheat for example, reaches its greatest degree of
productveness at the northern limit of its habitat
IL may use the term. This translate to mean
that the long winter followed by the warm
moist spring and feryid summer force the growth
from birth TO maturity in the most rapid possible
manner. and literally without check. l think
these the conditions Of the most prolific abund
ance in all growth. | do not mean TO imply that
all vegetation produces most abundantly at the
northern limit of production, but under those con-
dtions most favorable to its growth aud develop
more particularly the case with plants of extremely
rapid natural growth. Check one of these vines
for example. il never so slightly. and it Will in
stantly dwnde. and remain pigmy among its
follows. watch them, therefore. during their in